Ride of Silence

3.30.2015

50 Days Til the Big Event!

Are you ready?Are you registered?

The motto for the National Bike Summit
this year. Read a report further below
about the NBS by our new Secretary of
the Board, Lacey Nickell.

Not Registered? Only takes a Few Minutes: Our very simple online form
is very easy. You don't have to have all of your details to register;
just provide what you have now to get your event in our database. Email updates to Tim Potter, Webmaster, when you have them firmed up.

Current Listings:

We
are well ahead of 2014 listings, at 50 days before the Ride, and hopefully we
will exceed 2013's record number of locations this year.

Here are 2015 listings
at this point vs 2014:

Total
Listings:States:Countries:Continents:

2014:782684

2015:1163395

New/ Updated Organizer Resources

Official 2015 Poster is here!
We're happy to announce the official 2015 poster (or flyer) for the Ride of Silence! Our organizer for the Sacramento, California event, Sonya Lovine and friend Angela of Billings Art, submitted their poster for our contest (announced last fall) and we've selected it and provide it here for you to download and modify to help promote your events. Some basic instructions: Download the file and open with the latest version of Adobe Reader or Acrobat. For the text in the text boxes/fields (we've made those pretty obvious if you read the text) - the PDF allows for rich text. This means the easiest way for you to change the font, size, lower or
uppercase, etc., is to go into Microsoft Word, type your text...then
format it how you want (center it, change font, change size,
etc.)...copy that text...and then paste it into the PDF form field. So, you
can use whatever size font you want to use depending on
how much text you are trying to squeeze in. More questions? Email the webmaster.

Get
the word out about your Event via Web Calendars:

Did you know there
are a ton of web calendars that you can post your local ride Ride info at both
national, state and local? Our Vice President, Mark Hagar, has assembled this massive list of calendars you can reference. Note
all the listings for Grand Rapids, MI, USA! Your community may have an equal amount.
Most are free, you simply enter your ride information. Some require you to
“join” and log-in in with a user name & password.

Cycling Clubs and Organizations:

Here's another great resource to help you connect with your local clubs and organizations in your state or country. Take a look at it here. Drop Mark a note if you have a new one to add to the list or a correction.

10th Anniversary/Annual Ride
Logo:

For
Rides now in their 10th year, be sure to use the 10th
annual logo in all media release, posters, fliers, brochures, etc. It can be
found near the top of the Resources page on the website.

Reach out to large Health Clubs:

Consider
contacting the larger health clubs in your area, and inquire if they would be
willing to hold a “Spin for Silence” during one of their regularly scheduled
spin classes on May 20th. Remember we are also raising awareness of cyclist’s
rights to the road, that we're out there every day. An excellent place to do
this is in spin classes, were a lot of these 'spinners' may not necessarily be
“roadies”, and know what it's like to have to co-exist with motorists on a
daily basis.

The
2015 version of the RoS PowerPoint
Presentation is available
...which the health clubs could run during the spin
class on their audio-visual equipment. Please email RoS VP Mark Hagar if you
have questions on how to approach your local health clubs.

This
8.5” X 11” tri-fold brochure is now available for download here. Please place your Local Ride info in the area provided only. If it's your 10th year you can replace the standard logo with the 10th year version (see 10th Anniv logo note above). You may
delete one USA city under the list of locations that rode in 2014 (except
Dallas) and note your location and # of riders.

This year I went to the 2015 National Bike Summiton on behalf of the Ride of Silence which is hosted
by the League of American Bicyclist in Washington DC.This was my very first Summit and one I will
never forget.I went there with an open
mind and excitement.I was able to meet,
connect, listen and learn so much.This
year’s theme was Bikes+.Focusing on new ideas for exponential growth and building
strong partnerships to get there. We're zeroing in on how the bike movement can
add value to other issues and find powerful champions in health, community
development, the business sector and beyond. As stated by the League of
American Bicyclist.

One
of the big issues being talked about this week was Vision Zero.We are changing the language being used.Instead of using the word accidents we will
now say collisions and crashes.This is
holding people accountable for injuries on the road.Vision

Zero campaign is a 10 year plan to
have ZERO deaths by motorist.Using data
from these collisions give insight to where problem areas are in every
city.I was able to meet with several
Ride of Silence organizers from around the country.It was great to connect with so many new
faces and organizations along with talking about what is happening with the
Ride of Silence.Among the many people I
was able to meet was the League of American Bicyclist Women Bike Manager, Liz
Cornish Jones.I was very excited to
find out she was a fellow Okie, just as me.We met up for coffee and had a really great conversation about the
future of Ride of Silence and are hopeful for more involvement with the League
of American Bicyclist.

Over
the course of the Summit I attended many sessions.With every session I attended I heard some
new ideas, new thoughts, and learned new ways to grow our organization.It was such a humbling few days to be around
so many people all with like-minded ideas, cycling advocacy and seeing
change.I am excited to see how much
change we will see in the future.I was
excited to build such a strong relationship and friendships from some amazing
Floridians.On Thursday, March 12, we
made our way to lobby along with representatives from other states. Ride of
Silence has played a huge part in my life and the endless amount of support I
receive every day is truly remarkable.None
of this would be possible if it wasn’t for all our supporters and what you do
in your communities.

Was very grateful to be able to stay
with Ride of Silence supporter Ann
Swain who has graciously hosted
RoS Founder Chris Phelan and
Tim Potter in the past as well.

These are a few of the
sessions I attended:

Building Powerful
Networks to Advance Your CareerLearn about strategies for building up
powerful networks to support one another in advancing your careers. This
session we will hear from women working to construct networks that focus on powerbrokering,
mentoring, and recognition.

We’re All Advocates:
Stories of Change from Inside the PelotonHear from women at all levels of professional
racing about their experience with gender equity issues in racing. They will
share their advocacy work in the racing world, and how it carries over into
their communities.

Advocacy Leadership InstituteHow do you empower passionate volunteers to effectively organize in their
communities and advocate for better bike plans, effective policies and safer
infrastructure? In 2011, the Cascade
Bicycle Club created its Advocacy Leadership Institute (ALI), a
program that has given graduates the tools to start new bicycling
organizations, be featured in national news outlets, serve on bike advisory
boards and even manage Puget Sound Cycle Share.

Bringing Bike Advocacy to the PeopleThis session brings together big thinkers who are bringing bicycling
advocacy to the people where they are and incorporating it into our everyday
lives: in public libraries, bike shops, and our daily errands.

What is Vision
Zero and How Do We Get There?Cities and towns across the United States
face common challenges and shared trends — growing populations that are
increasingly diverse, governments that need to do more with less and a growing
public interest in and support for bicycle-friendly and walkable neighborhoods.
In 2014, The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition launched a Vision Zero
Campaign, calling for a reduction of all traffic deaths to zero in 10 years. In
this session, Leah Shahum, will
lead a discussion on Vision Zero as
an ambitious concept that isn’t just about policy, but also a dramatic shift in
our mindset about mobility, design and our public spaces. Read the full interview with Shahum.

5.17.2014

Final Notes for the Big 2014 Event

May 12, 2014

As we all make our final preparations for the 2014 event we have just a few final announcements to make.

Tragic Passing of One of Our RoS Organizers

We've recently - sadly been informed by our Danbury CT USA Ride of Silence organizer, that former Ride of Silence organizer Thomas Steinhert-Threlkeld of Weston CT was killed last Oct. while cycling, the 1st known death by a motorist of an RofS organizer. Thomas had previously organized a RofS in Weston, Farifield & Westport CT, from 2007 thru 2012. The Danbury CT RofS will pay a special tribute to Tom this year. The RoS board requests that all event organizers recognize Tom for his efforts over the years to remember and honor others and to raise awareness of all our rights to ride safely on our roads around the world. Watch for more posts on the RofS Facebbook pg. and website for more tributes to Tom.

All
But One - Calling Bicyclists in N. Dakota!

All of the states in the USA have at
least one registered event BUT N. Dakota. If any of you know of someone
in N. Dakota who is willing to help organize a basic event please encourage
them to do so. You know the drill; our registration form is very quick and easy and an
event can be as simple as riding with a few friends in silence in someone's
memory instead of the usual chit-chat of a Wed. evening ride. Many thanks.

Tweet
Basic Info About Your Event

At some point on May 21 (or May 24th
if you're in the S. Hemisphere) please Tweet some basic info., like how many
riders you've got, who you're riding for, etc. Please use the hashtag
#RideofSilence Ask someone who's not riding to do this please!Check out what's being Tweeted now about #RideofSilence here.

Reflective Ride of Silence Stickers Available - Be SEEN and Be SAFE after darkTo purchase, please visit this store and get yours
ordered NOW so they arrive in time for this year's event. If you have any
questions, email: elizabeth [ at ] rideofsilence.org All
proceeds go to support our RoS efforts. Note: The new RoS jerseys can still be ordered (w/ 15% of
jersey proceeds donated to RoS organization) but unfortunately can't be delivered
in time for the event.

Thank you all for your hard work in standing up for the
memories and rights of your fellow bicyclists in your communities.

4.15.2014

The day is near! 35 Days til Ride of Silence 2014

The day is near!

by guest writer - Lacey NickellClermont, FL Organizer and Advisor to the Board

We are only 35 days away from the 2014 RIDE OF SILENCE! This will be the 12th year for the event. Please make sure your event is included: USA organizers go to this link; organizers outside the USA use this link. If you find your event but need to add details please email our webmaster with your new notes in full and he'll get them updated ASAP. Please remember to post reports after your event, this also includes past events that may have not been reported. Please feel free to share every detail or a brief summary for others to read including links to photos, videos, news articles and actual photos (upload them on pg. 2 of the form). This is a great tool for current and future organizers & the media or potential sponsors to get a good idea of the Big Day.

How to promote your ride?

Social media is extremely effective. Create a Facebook page for your local event and invite everyone and their mother to join. The global poster is ready to download and localize here (it's an Adobe PDF which can be easily modified using Adobe Reader and printed out as 8.5 x 11 or larger), or you are free to create your own poster. (I'm honored that my local poster from our event last year was selected as this year's global poster; my good friend Charlene Ruhge put my words into the graphical rendition you see). Reaching out to local media sources such as your local paper and news channel will allow you to get the entire community involved. There are many more tools for organizers to check out on this page.

Hong Kong 2013

There are no minimum or maximum number of participants for a ride. Whether your ride has 1 person (yes, we've had a number of solo events over the years!) or 3,000 people, please add your location. We all have family and friends in different cities and states. You never know who may show up at your event or who they will bring. Be creative with promoting! Ask local cycling and running stores to post your flyer. Add your event here. You can never tell too many people. Other than your specific location and distance, the details of the ride will always be the same:

When: The third Wednesday of May (May 21st this year). S. Hemisphere events pls. use May 24th, 10 am (also use this for a rain date)

Time: Ride begins at 7:00pm (ask people to show up 15-30 min early to sign in)

Why: To raise awareness and honor all cyclists that have been injured or killed by motorists.

What to wear: Red armbands if you have been hit, black armbands to honor those whom have died from a crash with a motorist. HELMETS ARE REQUIRED!

Who: EVERYONE is invited to participate. This is a slow (12mph) & short (8-12 mi) ride.

Donating

We are a non for profit organization. Donations are very much appreciated and needed. Although the ride only takes place one day a year, we have a lot going on behind the scenes. We have listed on our website a list of some of our expenses. Just as the organization is growing, so are more opportunities to raise awareness. Everyone involved in the Ride of Silence has felt pain one way or another due to the loss or injury of someone close. I lost my Daddy three and a half years ago; the pain is still with me. I wish I would have known about the ride before I lost my Dad. He would have jumped on the first opportunity to be part of this event. By allowing us to travel to the National Bicycle Summit, and other national and state events gives us the opportunity to get our information to committees, groups, organizations etc, and further spreading awareness.

We are silent in our memorial ride, but plan on making a loud statement about our safety. Donations help make these trips possible. You can donate to the Ride of Silence through this link . Thank you all for being part of this organization!

3.31.2014

Ride of Silence in Washington DC and Detroit

Note by webmaster Tim: thanks to your generous donations to the Ride of Silence some of the RoS board members and advisers have attended some important bike advocacy events over the years. This year Chris was unable to attend the NBS so Elizabeth carried the message to the Belly of the Beast for us.

Elizabeth with the ever dapper Gary Fisher

Washington, DC may shut down on snowy days, but we cyclists met -- some
even arriving by bike! -- for this year's Summit. It's my first Summit
not getting around by bike, but the streets were a mess (and I was still
in recovery mode from a broken wrist earlier in the winter).

This year's National Bike Summit
met in Washington, D.C. earlier this month with the theme "Uniting
Spokes" joining 650 bike advocates and enthusiasts together in one voice
on Capitol Hill "to advance bicycle safety, funding and equity.equity
joining cyclists together," as the League of American Bicyclists reports.

For the past three years, Ride of Silence has been a
presence at the Summit and this year was no different. I arrived in D.C.
on the Sunday before the start of the full Summit, to attend the
Women's Forum during the day on Monday and then stayed for the National Bike Summit that began Monday evening. When I took a look at the agenda
this year, I noticed with satisfaction how the heavy focus on not just
equity among cyclists but also for cyclists on the roadways and the
legalities of enforcement.

These are the sessions I attended:

Overcoming the Scofflaw Perception:
Learn how advocates have partnered with police, courts and others to
provide education for cyclists who are ticketed for their scofflaw
behavior. These successful partnerships teach people how to ride safely
and prevent this behavior from standing in the way of progress.

Moving Beyond the Bikelash
(Congressional A): Social media, old and new journalism, and even
improv comedy, can change the conversation faster than you think. You
just have to help it along. This session will show you how to beat the
bike lane backlash -- and have fun doing it!

The Role of Enforcement in a Vision Zero Strategy:
Law enforcement isn't always a bicyclist's best friend and justice for
bicyclists and pedestrians hit by cars is rarely served. Hear from
lawyers and advocates who have changed the law and worked with
enforcement agencies to ensure proper legal protection for cyclists.

Rep Earl Blumenauer, the strongest ally bicycling advocates have in Washington, DC, speaking at the receptionon the Hill on Wednesday evening.

While at the Summit, I did my best to reach out to all of you via tweets (via @RideOfSilence) and posts to our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/RideOfSilence) as much as possible.

Of course, an added perk of attending this Summit is
meeting (again) the likes of Gary Fisher and having a personal chat
with League director Andy Clarke about our initiative and hear of his
personal support for the Ride of Silence. We are heard and we are making
a difference in so many lives, but we still have work to do, as clearly
recognized by the content of these Summit presentation.

Yet the most rewarding aspect of the Summit came on
Wednesday when all 650 of us advocates took our message to Capitol Hill.
As I met with the Illinois representatives, I invited each to attend a
Ride of Silence and was impressed with their support for our mission.
Strolling the halls of the House buildings, I'd see an occasional person
wearing a bike pin and would ask how their day was going and everyone
was so energized.

The movement of United Spokes does not end after the
Summit; in fact, we who attended the Summit bring our energy back to
you and ask you to unite with us to spread the message for bike equity
in your own community. Working together for bike safety and riding
together on May 21
for this year's Ride of Silence, we are UNITED and we do have a voice.
Let our voices (in advocacy and in our silent reverence) roar.

Ride of Silence @ Detroit Bike City Expo

by Tim Potter, Mar. 31, 2014

(L to R): Tim, Keith and Dave

This past weekend Dave Duffield (organizer of the longest running Michigan RoS event in Westland near Detroit - this will be their 11th year!) and I proudly represented the RoS with a booth among 120 other vendors and organizations at Detroit Bike City Expo. This was the 3rd year for this fledgling event which has become part of the N. American Bicycle Week as of this year, one of 4 days of great bike-related events. This was another event where the RoS was represented thanks to donations to the RoS.

Tim with RoS supporter from Guadalajara, Mexico

Our booth amidst the Big Boys at the Expo

The RoS booth had a lot of visitors many of whom said they'd participated in RoS events and were eager for the 2014 event to come around. Fortunately we had Dave's laptop there, which was running Mark Hagar's excellent updated RoS Powerpoint for 2014, so we could also look up info. on events around Michigan and elsewhere for visitors. We had one visitor who had just moved to Detroit-land from Guadalajara, Mexico, who had ridden in the RoS event there a number of times and was delighted to learn about events in the area. Keith Webb, an organizer who has done events in Maryville, TN and now Toledo, OH, for a bunch of years, stopped by to say Hi. Steve Roach, a multi-year (at least 5) organizer in Detroit's Belle Isle, briefly visited too.

We handed out many fliers which I had put together from an annual ad we run in the League of Michigan Bicyclist's ride calendar (thanks to the generous courtesy of the LMB) and some 10-year bicycle crash stats from the web-based Michigan Traffic Crash Facts tool. Image to the left is a scan of the flier if you're interested in knowing what it looked like. To the right is a scan of another flier we handed out; the Take the Pledge campaign is a recently launched initiative that every state bike advocacy group should copy. It encourages both bicyclists and motorists to adhere to basic rules of the road and common courtesies to each other. One other flier I made available was a detailed summary of the latest year (2012) bicycle crash statistics so people can better understand the nature of these crashes. See that handout below.

Now is the Time to Register Your Event for 2014!

50 days until May 21!

You don't have to wait until every detail is finalized; register whatever information you have now for your event so we can make sure your event is counted! (You can send updates to the webmaster when you have them.) Last year we had a record year and this year we're on pace to break THAT record, so let's do it! Here's a link to our simple registration form. Also, if you completely forgot to submit your post-event report for 2013, it's NOT TOO LATE! We only have 43% of our events submitting reports which is unfortunate since we'll never know how all our events did unless you submit something. If you're not sure a report was submitted go here and easily check. Use this easy-to-use formto file it along with links to photos, articles, videos and then up to 10 photos too (on pg. 2 of the form).